"What happened?" Jiang Mian was still groggy, her head feeling a little heavy, her voice laced with the languor of just waking up.
Suddenly startled from her dream, her hand holding the phone felt weak.
Then she clearly heard Li Zhuyi's voice, filled with evident shock, coming from the receiver, "Director Ye... is Director Ji's illegitimate half-brother... it's already all over Weibo!"
"Ji's Group stock has plummeted, and Director Ye hasn't responded. I suspect he hasn't seen it yet. Various exposé posts have already appeared on forums, saying all sorts of things."
Li Zhuyi summarized the situation in a few sentences.
Jiang Mian felt somewhat dizzy from the news. How could someone so unrelated have such a connection?
She was completely awake now. She sat up in bed, threw off the covers, and said quickly, "I know."
While holding her phone, she ran towards the study, not even noticing she had put on her slippers backward.
She opened her computer and quickly logged onto Weibo.
#JiGroupYeWing# Trending
#YeWingIllegitimateSon# Hot
#JiZhiXiuYeWing# Hot
Jiang Mian casually clicked on one of the topics.
The pinned Weibo was from an entertainment account.
"Southern Entertainment v": Different fates from the same origin. Illegitimate children are destined for hardship. Look at Director Ji, born into privilege, with an excellent resume, outstanding personal ability, and took over Ji's at such a young age. Compare that to Ye Wing. How can they even be compared? He can't even get his father's surname. [Image][Image]
Jiang Mian tapped on the images and read them word by word.
They stated that Ye Wing's mother and Ji Zhi Xiu's father were university classmates and first loves, but they were forced to break up due to family pressure.
Unexpectedly, they got back together due to an accident.
And thus, Ye Wing was born.
In the end, because the woman was unwilling to accept her position and wanted to be formally acknowledged, she was suppressed by the then patriarch of Ji's, Old Master Ji, with swift and decisive action, and was driven out of the capital.
As it was a scandal, Old Master Ji kept it extremely well hidden.
For so many years, the outside world had no idea that Ji Zhi Xiu had an illegitimate son.
Jiang Mian frowned, her expression grave. She remembered Ji Zhi Xiu had told her.
Ji's father had indeed had an affair back then and had another child.
She instinctively bit her lip, a complex mix of emotions swirling within her.
Ye Wing... how could he be Ji Zhi Xiu's brother?
Her mind raced. Where did she first see Ye Wing?
At Shen Tingyu's house.
He hadn't dressed like a guest attending a banquet.
Later, she saw him on set.
The director said he would play a subordinate by Ling He's side.
Jiang Mian recalled that after "Nine Heavens" aired, she didn't find any trace of Ye Wing in it.
This indicated he had been removed during post-editing.
Then why did he come to the set?
And Ji Zhi Xiu... did Ji Zhi Xiu know about Ye Wing's relationship with him?
It felt like a huge mystery, and at this moment, no one could answer it.
She didn't know the outcome of the matter back then. Regardless of whether Ye Wing was Ji Zhi Xiu's half-brother or not,
She felt something was amiss.
Prominent families generally wouldn't let such matters become public gossip.
So, how did these media outlets find out?
And, who leaked this information?
As someone also involved in the entertainment industry, Jiang Mian could tell at a glance that these words had been prepared long in advance.
Even the comments below were all steering public opinion in a certain direction.
This shouldn't be happening. Logically, this was just a juicy piece of gossip from a wealthy family. People would just look and move on. What did it have to do with these gossipers?
"Then Ji Zhi Xiu must be afraid of this brother coming back to fight for his inheritance, rich families are so dramatic."
"Ye Wing is so pitiful, who wants to be an illegitimate child? And his mother is also pitiable, her true love was broken up."
"Someone on a certain forum has already traced the timeline, you can check it out. I heard Ye Wing returned to seek revenge! I support him! Why should an illegitimate child be treated like this!"
Jiang Mian's gaze shifted down, landing on the time displayed in the bottom right corner of the computer screen.
It was around eight in the morning, prime time for office workers commuting.
The first to break the news was Southern Entertainment, posting at seven forty.
They had included many trending topics, and their Weibo account had a large following, so it quickly garnered public attention.
Wealthy families, their lives seemingly unattainable, were actually full of domestic squabbles.
Their lives were no different from ordinary people.
Rich men cheated even more.
Posting at this time made it easy for commuters checking their phones on the subway to see the trending topics.
It also allowed this topic to easily climb into the top three, with over fifty million views.
"Southern Entertainment..." Jiang Mian murmured the name. She remembered this account.
Wasn't it this same Weibo account that had released the video slandering her early image last time?
If she didn't believe it was a premeditated scheme, she wouldn't.
Jiang Mian clicked on the stock market website and took a look. Ji's Group was indeed falling sharply.
She couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. This feeling of being unable to help was so frustrating.
Jiang Mian gripped her phone, pursed her lips, and wondered what Ah Xiu would think upon seeing this news...
The impact of this incident was already spreading.
Jiang Mian saw that on the forums, someone had even fabricated a plot of a power struggle within a wealthy family. The thread count below was extremely high.
Everywhere she looked, the comments were unsavory, filled with malicious speculation.
Jiang Mian lowered her eyes, a sense of worry rising in her heart. She decisively dialed his number.
"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off. Please try again later. Sorry..."
Like a balloon that had been inflated with anticipation, it was suddenly punctured, and cold wind began to blow in incessantly from the outside.
The sweet female voice from the phone came through, and Jiang Mian's fingers holding the phone tightened inch by inch.
The study, with its curtains undrawn, was dimly lit.
Jiang Mian suddenly realized that in her panic, she had even forgotten to turn on the light, and her heart was pounding erratically.
Why wasn't he answering?
Lost in her thoughts, her chair scraped harshly across the floor. Jiang Mian, still holding her phone, left her seat and clattered downstairs.
"Sun Shu! Xiao Bai! Xiao Hei!" she called out loudly.
Aunt Song emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. "What is it, Young Madam?"
"Where are Sun Shu and the others? I need to find them!"
"Don't rush, don't rush, Young Madam. Just call them in with the remote control, why are you in such a hurry?" Aunt Song's brows furrowed as she saw Jiang Mian's agitated state.
"Look, you've even put your shoes on backward."
Jiang Mian looked down at her feet. The bunny-eared slippers were on the wrong feet, which was strangely comical.
But she couldn't laugh. Considering Aunt Song might not know about the situation,
She forced a smile, not wanting to worry her. "It's nothing, I'll find them myself."
With that, she ran out of the living room under Aunt Song's puzzled gaze.
The bodyguards were stationed on the outskirts of the villa. Jiang Mian ran very fast.
For the first time, she felt the villa was so vast, so large that she might never find anyone.
The sun was high in the sky now, its rays shining on the landscape.
Dewdrops clung precariously to the vibrant petals, and the scent of grass and foliage filled the air.
But Jiang Mian could perceive none of it.
She had only one thought: she needed to see Ji Zhi Xiu.
The cold air filled Jiang Mian's lungs without reservation, making her face flush red.
All her strength was poured into running. Panting, she reached the spot where the bodyguards were on duty.
She happened to encounter Sun Shu coming out. Her appearance startled him greatly. "Young Madam..."
Jiang Mian bent over to catch her breath, unable to speak for a moment. Her chest ached severely.
Seeing this, Sun Shu quickly turned and called out, "Xiao Bai, get some water!"
"Coming! Big Brother."
Xiao Bai scurried out from inside with a cup of water and handed the warm water over. "Young Madam? Why are you here! And running so urgently, come in and sit down."
Jiang Mian clutched the paper cup, finally feeling a little warmth in her palms.
She didn't move her feet. After taking a sip of water, she felt much more comfortable. Then, with her other hand, she grabbed Sun Shu's arm and demanded, "Take me to Ah Xiu."
Sun Shu froze, his gaze sweeping over her. "Young Madam..."
Jiang Mian followed his gaze and looked down, only then realizing she was still wearing her pajamas.
She looked up, her voice filled with urgency, "I'll go change immediately, but take me to find him."
Sun Shu, having some inkling of why the Young Madam was so flustered,
Calmly advised, "Don't worry, Young Madam. Rest assured, the President will be fine."
Having followed the President for so many years, what storms had he not weathered?
He, Sun Shu, trusted the President unconditionally.
"But I need to see him now," Jiang Mian repeated softly.
She just wanted to be by his side, to make him feel less sad.
Years of buried secrets, exposed all at once to the public.
The online comments, which seized on any whisper, were infuriating to read.
She was truly... very worried...
Sun Shu looked troubled. "I understand your feelings, Young Madam, but we truly don't know the President's whereabouts. Perhaps only Assistant Xiang would know."
Xiao Bai chimed in, "That's right, that's right. Big Brother is right. Don't worry, Director Ji will definitely come back when he sees the news."
Jiang Mian released her grip listlessly, her expression dejected. "You don't know where he's gone on his business trip either?"
Sun Shu couldn't bear to see her like this. "I can try to contact Assistant Fan for you, but I can't guarantee he'll be reachable."
Jiang Mian nodded vigorously, a flicker of hope in her peach blossom eyes. "Okay!"
"Come inside and sit. It's cold outside."
Jiang Mian entered the room, cradling her cup of water, waiting quietly.
Sun Shu found Assistant Fan and dialed their unique contact number. After waiting for a moment, he finally lowered his phone with a helpless expression. "As you can see, Young Madam, no one is answering. There's really nothing we can do."
Jiang Mian nodded slowly. "Thank you, I know you've done your best."
It was she who was so anxious that she didn't know who else to turn to.
Ah Xiu, please come back soon.
...
Ye Wing had played games all night. He had only gone to sleep at five in the morning.
In his groggy state, he heard the villa's surveillance system beeping.
Immediately after, his phone began to ring.
He extended a long arm, grabbed a pillow from the bedside table, and covered his ears. He was sleeping so soundly that he was completely unfazed.
However, the ringing persisted relentlessly.
Ye Wing fumbled for his phone on the nightstand. His eyes were still closed, and his voice was filled with impatience. "You're disturbing my sleep. You'd better have a good reason."
Ye San, calm and collected, said, "Open the door, I'm downstairs at your place."
"If you don't open the door, I'll find my own way in," he added calmly, knowing Ye Wing's habits.
Ye Wing took a deep breath and hung up with a click.
Two minutes later.
Ye San entered. He looked at the man whose messy hair still couldn't hide his handsomeness. "Are you awake now?"
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